Martial Arts Speed And Agility Training
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Speed, Balance and Agility Training for Martial Arts
Whether you are an MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter, a traditional martial arts enthusiast, or just someone with an interest in self defense or fitness training, physical conditioning and improving your speed, balance and agility should be a very important part of the training that you do.
In a fight the techniques that you have learned are only one amongst many factors which will decide who will come out on top. Everyone knows the importance of strength and cardiovascular fitness, but speed, balance and other characteristics which come under the catch all banner of 'agility' are just as important as strength and fitness, but often get left out of training programmes.
One of the reasons for this is that it is not so obvious what you should do to train these things. Everyone knows what kind of things to do if they want to get stronger and fitter, but knowing what to do to improve your agility in such a way that is useful for martial arts is not so obvious. So that is why I decided to put together this hub. It's not comprehensive by any means, and if you know any other good exercises to use then please do let people know about them in the comments section, but I hope that it will at least give you a couple of good ideas and set you off in the right direction.
In a fight the techniques that you have learned are only one amongst many factors which will decide who will come out on top. Everyone knows the importance of strength and cardiovascular fitness, but speed, balance and other characteristics which come under the catch all banner of 'agility' are just as important as strength and fitness, but often get left out of training programmes.
One of the reasons for this is that it is not so obvious what you should do to train these things. Everyone knows what kind of things to do if they want to get stronger and fitter, but knowing what to do to improve your agility in such a way that is useful for martial arts is not so obvious. So that is why I decided to put together this hub. It's not comprehensive by any means, and if you know any other good exercises to use then please do let people know about them in the comments section, but I hope that it will at least give you a couple of good ideas and set you off in the right direction.
My Top Tip For Speed And Agility Training
My number one tip for anyone who is into martial arts and has an hour or two per week that they can use for some extra training to improve their physical conditioning is to take up par kour, or 'free running'.
Free running, in case you haven't heard of it, involves going for a run and just playing around with your environment and doing some basic gymnastic type moves using the 'street furniture' that you come across. Take a look at the video below to get a better idea of what it is all about.
The great thing about free running is that it combines fitness and agility training. Fast footwork, learning to react quickly for both spontaneous moves and to correct mistakes, and athletic jumps and leaps are all ideal agility training for someone who has got martial arts applications in mind.
Free running, in case you haven't heard of it, involves going for a run and just playing around with your environment and doing some basic gymnastic type moves using the 'street furniture' that you come across. Take a look at the video below to get a better idea of what it is all about.
The great thing about free running is that it combines fitness and agility training. Fast footwork, learning to react quickly for both spontaneous moves and to correct mistakes, and athletic jumps and leaps are all ideal agility training for someone who has got martial arts applications in mind.
Free Running Video
Some inspiration for you if you are interesting in giving free running a go!
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Poles Of Plum Blossom - Kung Fu Agility Training
If you want something a bit more advanced, as well as something that is more specifically tailored towards martial arts, then as far as I know the best balance and agility training programme around is the Shaolin kung fu method called the Poles of Plum Blossom, which was developed by the famous monks of the Shaolin Temple in China.
It is said by practitioners of kung fu that "strength cannot overcome style, and style canot overcome mastery". Style refers to the techniques of a particular style of martial arts, and mastery refers to the physical mastery which comes from training such as the Poles of Plum Blossom.
Speed Bag Training
Using a speed bag is the most common method used to develop your speed and reactions
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Agility Drill Video
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Brain Training
Of course physical fitness, flexibility and agility are very important, but don't forget about mental agility! You have to be aware of exactly what is happening around you, and then unless you are reacting purel on instinct you also have to remember what technique to use and then send the message from your brain to your body to perform it before your physical conditioning even begins to become relevant.
There are loads of places that you can play brain training style games, either online on your pc or on a phone or games console, which will help you to develop greater spatial awareness and improve your reaction speeds as well as improving your memory. I firmly believe that any martial artist will find these brain training games to be an invaluable addition to their overall training program.
There are loads of places that you can play brain training style games, either online on your pc or on a phone or games console, which will help you to develop greater spatial awareness and improve your reaction speeds as well as improving your memory. I firmly believe that any martial artist will find these brain training games to be an invaluable addition to their overall training program.
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Some Other Martial Arts Links
- Street Fighting Techniques
- Real life street self-defense and martial arts blog packed full of practical techniques you can use to protect yourself in street fighting situations.
- How To Fight by Scott Nielson
- How To Fight by Scott Nielson: Learn the basic principles and advanced techniques that you need to protect yourself and your family against attackers in this street self defense guide to how to fight. Topic include everything from basic principles of how to punch hard to advanced techniques to defen
Comments
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Paul
May 1, 2012 @ 10:33 pm | delete
- Do a search for "active plateau dynamics" to start your plum flower pole training.
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AlokaRuwanpathirana
Mar 27, 2012 @ 10:18 pm | delete
- Great lens!
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TheBestGadgets
Oct 11, 2011 @ 6:20 am | delete
- No, I don't think I've heard of it before. I'll do some research and check it out.
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Maria
Oct 11, 2011 @ 5:06 am | delete
- Great lens! I have a black belt in Lapunti Arnis de Abaniko and ideally, we have to be faster than the flip of a fan. whew! Have you heard about this Filipino Martial Arts?
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Beas
Oct 10, 2011 @ 12:53 pm | delete
- I like the idea of free running for more speed, balance, and agility. If only I had the time..
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